Okay... apologies first, I guess. Actually, you know what? I honestly don't feel I have anything to apologize for. It took me over 4 months to get this chapter up, that much I realize, but I lead a busy life and often don't have time for the more amusing things.
I wrote the original version of this chapter in early November, actually... I wrote it out by hand first. I typed it up, printed it out. I spent countless hours agonizing over single words and scenes to add to the effect. This is, in a sense, what most of you have been waiting for, so I wanted it to be optimal stuff. By the time I had come up with something I thought was acceptable, my computer died. Again. A brand-new frickin' computer just woke up one morning and said, "Yanno what? I'm going to cause a bloody ruckus for Allie. I'm sick of this "turn on, turn off, turn on, turn off" crap. I QUIT!" and it did. So currently I'm working on a half-@$$ refurb that has less than half the memory that I paid for (112 megs??? since when does that exist???). Anyway, the new semester hit by the time I got this heap. New semester tough. Very tough. Homework each night. Allie brain numb now. Allie go sleep. (-.-)z Z Allie have small time for Falling. Very small time. She take hard copy of Falling and have to retype dumb story. Dumb story. Dumb, dumb story. Story die. No! Van die. Hitomi too. And Merle and Allen and Millerna and Dryden and weird hermaphrodite thing. Yes. Grand massacre. [you have no chance to survive make your time. ha ha ha.]
Sorry. As you can see, my noggin has just melted away into oatmeal. (The bit at the end is an excerpt from a song called "Invasion of the Gabber Robots").
Enough rambling. This is the second-last chapter. I know I said it was going to be the last, but if it had been made the last it would ruin the effect. 18 is the last, and it's going to be LONG. I haven't exactly written it yet. I know the general direction that it's veering off to, though. Many of you are going to hate me. (Maybe I wasn't just crazy talking when I mentioned a grand masacre, ne?). But, c'est la vie. Enjoy this chapter. If you do, please leave a review. If you hate it, leave a flame. But please, leave something. I worked hard on this. Happy reading.
Allie go sleep now. (-.-)z Z. Kutabare, conpyutaa.
A/N 2: There is a mention of something in this chapter called socraes. It's some form of Gaian currency that I made up. : P. One socrae is equivalent to about 50¢ Canadian.
______________________________________________________________________________
Chapter 17:
I Promise.
He felt as though he had been walking for
hours, but really it had only been about 45 minutes. He was soaked through
and through and his voice was raw from calling for Hitomi, though he had
given up a few minutes ago. He had strayed far from the palace, and the
storm was worsening. He had to find shelter. He sniffled from the cold
and with his free hand he brushed back his ebony locks to broaden the region
of his misted view. In his other hand, he tightly gripped a daisy– the
same one that Hitomi had ripped from her hair when she had run off. He
didn't know why he had picked up this particular flower, nor did he realize
that it was the very same one he had attached to the note to the girl he
secretly cared for. All he knew was that some deranged gut instinct was
telling him to keep it within his possession.
"Damn it." he spat, but his words were
carried away by the unfavorable weather. He was blinded by it, but was
able to recognize where he was. He had come here often. The barn-like outline
of a structure was only about a half-kilometer away.
She was still sobbing quietly when there was a loud noise of the
barn door being heaved open. Hitomi froze, ceasing the tears. Who was it?
Some lunatic, intent on killing or raping her? She decided to stay hidden.
The 15 year-old boy shook his head vigorously,
drew his hair back, and wrung it out. The water splashed against the floor.
He exhaled loudly and scanned the area for easily flammable objects. He
gathered up some hay and placed it on a pile in the center of the cement
floor. He found two surprisingly dry sticks and tugged out the string from
his top. He kept extras back at the castle.
Van placed one stick erect in the hay and
the other he attached his cord to, making a bow. He wound it around the
other small piece of wood and rubbed it quickly, the friction allowing
for a thin trail of smoke. A spark appeared and he blew on it, donating
precious oxygen to the fire's will to live. Pretty soon, the flames emerged.
The young king pulled off his gloves, for
they were wet, and his shoes as well. He had no intention of catching some
sort of sickness in this horrible weather. He was still cold, however,
as his icy clothes clung to him like a second skin. He peeled off his top
and immediately felt the gratifying change in temperature. He glanced around
warily and began to unzip his fly. No one was here, so what would be the
harm in stripping down to his undergarments?
Hitomi could smell the hay burning and
hear the crackling flames as they licked their way through their yellow
feed. She could also see the dancing lights that projected against the
wall. Soon, she could stand it no longer; she wanted to be warm.
"Who's there?" her tiny voice called out,
afraid of the answer.
"Van stopped the unzipping, but didn't
turn around. Nor did he seem surprised. "So this is where you ran off to,
Hitomi." he closed the zipper.
"Van?" slowly, she peeked her eyes over
the edge of the rafters. Down below was a half-naked teen, his bare back
to her. At the sight of him, Hitomi momentarily forgot what he had done.
"It's cold out today." he stated plainly,
causing the tawny-haired girl to be jerked out of her forgiving side. The
memory of the "garden scene" reclaimed its embedment in her mind and she
bit her lip, drawing back slightly.
"You should sit by the fire. Otherwise
you might catch something." he said nonchalantly. "You don't want to go
back to the Mystic Moon with an illness, do you?"
There was no answer, so Van didn't pursue
any more attempts of communication. He just sat, watching the flames dance
on the straw. Bored, he picked up a stray strand and allowed the tip of
it to catch on fire. The flames spread downwards and Van waited to see
how long he could hold the straw before he got nervous and released his
hold on it. He dropped the first one pretty easily, so he pulled out a
second. Then a third. Then a fourth. Each time he held it longer than the
last. He was proving to himself that he wasn't chicken. It was a dangerous
solitary game, but a bewitching, mystical one at the same time. Playing
with fire.
On the eighth straw, he burned the tip
of his finger.
Fifteen minutes after the singe, Hitomi
had still not made a peep. Van wondered if she was asleep. "Are you awake?"
he called from below, not really expecting a reply.
Slowly, the girl sat up and looked at him,
glaring at him with traces of tears eminent in her eyes. "If you're looking
for company, go ask your new love Celena to join you." she snarled.
Van emitted a "Hm". "So that's what this
is about. What happened in the garden."
"You can't deny it... I saw it with my
own eyes. A wonderful way to greet me, after giving me a note that I thought
meant you wanted to apologize for lying. Or was the note even for me? Did
you mistake me for Miss. Ex-Pyro?!"
"Hitomi..."
"Just leave me alone. Go see Celena, take
her on a nice aerial tour of Fanelia."
"Celena doesn't know about my wings."
"I'm happy for both of you, really, but–
what?"
"Celena doesn't know about my wings."
"But... you kissed her. Surely she knows."
He turned to face her. I never kissed her...the
Dilandau part of her mind seized temporary control and she forced herself
on me."
"The note wasn't for her?"
His amber eyes burned into hers. "She came
into the garden looking for me. She wanted to apologize for last night,
when Dilandau took over at one point and tried to suffocate me. But I don't
think he's coming back anymore. He got what he came fore." he turned away
and gingerly touched his bruised lip. The break in conversation seemed
to last an eternity before the girl's voice was heard again, small and
soft but perfectly clear.
"Why did you lie to me about the letter."
"He turned his head slightly to the side,
so that she still couldn't see his face. "I have my reasons." he said quietly.
"I have a right to know!"
"I can't tell you right now, Hitomi."
She frowned. "You're always so secretive."
"I'm not the only one."
She sat up quickly. "I don't have anything
to hide."
He grunted. "Of course not." he replied,
testing his shirt for dampness. "You're being foolish, not getting warm
by the fire."
"I'm fine." she answered stubbornly, crossing
her arms.
He turned around and looked up at her.
He saw her resentful expression and furrowed his brows. "You don't believe
what I told you about Celena, do you?" She didn't answer, so he turned
back to the fire. "Why do you care about it anyway?"
The question caught her off-guard, and
silently she fumbled for what to say. "Because.... I expected to find you
ready to say sorry, but instead, there you were, too busy kissing the girl
who was once your worst enemy!..." she trailed off, remembering something.
Was this what Van had felt when he saw her kissing Allen? The Schezars
were good at commanding hearts, it would seem.
"So that's why you won't come down?" he
smirked. "Because you're angry over her kissing me?"
Hitomi didn't like the implications he was making. "I don't
care." she huffed.
"Then you should have no trouble coming
down."
Invoked by the challenge, she did. She made her way past him
and found a large piece of wood. She shoved it over and plopped herself
down across from Van. She watched the fire, saying nothing more.
Neither of them could really tell how long the silence lingered
before Van got up, putting on his shirt.
"Where are you going?" Hitomi asked, looking
up at him curiously.
"I think I heard the rain stop." he slid
open the door. The rain was now just spitting slightly. He paused at the
doorway. "I'm going to go down to the market to see if I can get something
to eat. You can come if you want."
She shifted slightly. "It's okay." she
answered. I should stay here to make sure the fire doesn't get out of hand.
I have some things I need to think through.
His brows twitched at the last statement.
You still don't believe me. "Hitomi?"
"Yes?"
"I'm sorry." with that, he left.
So she was alone with her thoughts. Her
mind wandered to what she had witnessed earlier, in the garden. Did Van
make up the lie about "Dilandau taking control" in order to spare her the
truth? After all, he had lied to her before. She had begun to lose her
trust in him. Her mind drifted backwards in time, to when she had been
in love with Allen. She had trusted him completely, without a doubt in
her mind. If she fell, she knew he would be there to break her fall. His
confidence gave her confidence, and she liked it. It was perhaps one of
the reasons she had become infatuated with him.
Van had confidence too, but his was with
a slight haughtiness that irked her. However, once she got to know him
better, Hitomi knew she could trust him with her life. She also found that
she cared for him a great deal... in a different way than Allen. The knight
was admiration. The king went deeper than that. He had unknowingly reached
down into her heart, as a true and loyal friend, but also as something
more. He became the one man who Hitomi could say she loved, screaming it
from her heart and soul. She loved him. She loved him, he
who caused her spirit to soar high above the clouds, both metaphorically
and literally. Van. Her angel, her friend, her soulmate.
But she had realized this too late. The
bittersweet departure had been upon them, and she was going to return home.
She had to. She loved her family and longed to see them, but she also loved
Van, and wanted to be with him as long as possible. If only... if only
she could be granted more time with him, even just a day.
That's why she had done it. Why she had
meddled with the pillar of light destined to take her home.
What a horrid day it was. Though the rain
had ceased its irritating pelting, the air was damp and the sky was a murky
grey. Not to Van's surprise, there were few Asturian citizens who dared
to venture out during this weatherly drawback. In fact, the majority of
the shops were closed. It made sense, of course. Why set up when no buyers
were out? How unfortunate for someone who was actually willing to go the
extra mile. He was hungry. Every shop he passed was closed, the curtains
drawn and no merchants with grins awaiting for wanderers to purchase their
goods.
But then: as if illuminated by luck, was
a quaint little stand dead ahead. Tree stumps had been set out as little
seats in front. It would probably have been much more attractive on a sunny
day, but since this was not the case, Van decided it would not play an
important factor in his selection of a good food stand. Food was food,
plain and simple.
The man at the counter was pudgy and chewed
tiredly on a blade of grass. He looked half-asleep, and very palled. Loaves
of bread and baskets of fruit were set out behind him. When he saw the
young man approaching him, he perked up.
"What can I do fer ya, sonny?" he asked,
waving towards the food behind him. "Nice to see someone's
out."
Van said nothing and began to pick out
what he wanted. The merchant loaded the items into a canvas bag.
"That ev'rythin'?" he asked.
"Yes, thank you." he dove into his pockets
for the correct change. The shopkeeper watched him closely.
"Say, sonny, I don't recall havin' seen
y'all around these here parts. Where ya from?" he asked, wanting to make
conversation.
"Fanelia." he put the coins on the table.
The man didn't budge. "Fanelia?" he huffed.
"That ol' run-down place?"
Van stiffened.
The man didn't notice and continued. "I
recall the last time I was there.... right after the place got burned to
the ground by that damned Zaibach. It was such a run-down country anyways.
If ya want my advice, sonny, when yer old enough to get out, get out!"
"Excuse me sir." said Van
in a dangerously low voice. "But Fanelia is actually a high-ranking country."
"Ha!" guffawed the man. "High-ranking when
it comes to the worst ones." he rolled his eyes. Van opened his mouth to
retort but was cut off again. "And you know what gets my goat? The king!
Honestly, boy! And that's whut he is, too. A li'l kiddie like yerself.
A sonny your age ain't fit to run a country! He ain't got no experience,
and ran away when the place burnt! Rumor has it he'd rather go to a pub
than follow politics. Plus, I hear that he's a part Draconian! One of those
damned demons. I swears, honest to gods, if I ever caught one of 'em monsters
within a hundred yards of my shop, I'd tell 'em to get the hell outta my
country!"
Van was shaking with rage.
The shopkeeper was counting up the coins.
"Sonny Jim, you ain't got enough here. You're off by two socraes. What
in tarnation are ya tryin' to pull? I ain't an idiot. You're a damned thief!"
The 15 year-old was too angry to speak.
"Father!" came a scolding voice from behind
the greedy man. "What are you trying to pull?" From behind the stand stepped
out a woman, perhaps 20 or so, who had long lavender hair that flowed down
to her waist.
"This here boy is trying to rip me off!"
retorted the old man.
"Father!" she shouted. In one swift movement,
she bent over and picked up the two socraes that Van had supposedly not
given. "Here's the missing money." she told the buyer, and looked over
to meet his eyes. She froze when she did.
"Well 'scuse me!" grumbled the woman's
father. "I was telling this boy 'bout the bad sides of Fanelia, and I guess
I got too worked up and those fell over."
The woman didn't break her eye contact.
"You were disrespecting the Fanelia?"
"Damn straight. Nazianna, ya haven't been
there since you were wee. It's a d—"
"Shut up!" she snapped, smacking
him upside the head. She bowed in front of Van. "Forgive me, your Highness!
My father is too stupid to know any better."
"He's the KING?" the merchant turned a
sickly white and quickly excused himself.
"Please, your highness. To make up for
the behavior of my father, your purchases are on the house." She handed
them the bag.
"Thank you." Van said, though still too
indignant to change the expression on his face.
"Er, though I might make a suggestion for
an item you might wish to add to the bag..." she reached onto a platter
and pulled out a vine of fruit that Van had never seen before. They looked
oddly like a mix between grapes and raspberries.
"These are tatana berries." Nazianna explained.
She inched closer to him, as if about to reveal a secret. "They're
the famous 'Asturian passionfruit'. Some say that when you share it with
someone you secretly love, they will return your feelings. It's a silly
superstition, but it's good fruit nonetheless." She handed them over to
Van, along with the money that was still on the counter. "Good luck with
the legend." she grinned.
A loud crackle pivoted through the land, causing
Hitomi to jump. She heard taps against the rooftop and wondered if it was
rain. Curious, she rose from her warm place by the fire and slid open the
door. It was raining alright, as if the God of weather had decided to send
down oceans of water.
She shivered. It was cold, standing by
the opening doorway and away from her fire. She considered putting the
flames out and returning to the castle, but judging by the low visibility
rate, it would be near-impossible. She sighed and rolled the door shut.
Barely sixty seconds after she sat down
by the heat, the door opened again and an extremely soaked man stepped
through. He dropped the brown canvas bag that had been slung over his shoulder
and shook his head violently, water splashing everywhere. He ran a hand
through his hair, raking it back and out of his eyes. He looked at Hitomi,
who was slowly walking over to him. She touched his arm and found that
it was like ice. Without a word she led him over to the fire. Her hands
reached for his shirt and he jerked back, alarmed.
"What are you doing?" he demanded.
"You're freezing." she answered. "You should
get out of this drenched top before you catch something." she stepped forward
and restarted her quest to remove the red apparel. This time Van complied,
helping her tug it over his head. Neither of them realized the oddity of
the situation until the king had thrown his garment over onto the log.
Van turned red at the notion that Hitomi had willingly helped him take
off the shirt, and Hitomi was blushing at the sight of him. She coughed
slightly, causing both of them to look away.
"Is this unusually cold weather for summer in Asturia?" she
squeaked.
"I guess." he murmured carelessly. "It's a good thing we have
the fire going."
Hitomi watched his mouth move as he pronounced
the words. There was something on it but she couldn't tell what. He made
a motion to sit down, but she stopped him. She footed closer and extended
her hand to his face. Van was stilled, wide eyes looking down at her. Her
fingertips grazed over the marking on his lip.
"Hitomi..." he breathed, enthralled by
her touch. To his disappointment, she pulled her hand away. She turned
her head to the side to avoid his questioning analysis.
"It's a bruise, isn't it."
He ran his tongue along his bottom lip,
testing it. "It doesn't hurt."
"Celena did that to you?"
"Yes." he sat down, not wanting to make
further contributions.
She sat down, too, across from him.
She could see him almost fully through the tips of the flames. "I'm surprised
you came back here instead of going back to the castle, where it's warmer."
"I was closer to here when it began to
rain again." he answered simply. It was a lie, he had actually been walking
right by the palace when the weather had started up its crude behavior
once more. His attraction to Hitomi had drawn him back to the place where
he had once made a feeble attempt to confess his feelings. If the storm
was going to persist, then so was he. For the first time, he would be able
to talk with her, just the two of them, without the ever-looming threat
of Merle's candid interruptions. The only problem with the equation was
that he couldn't maintain a decent conversation to save his life.
So the silence took over, as it had countless
times when they were together. The crackle of the fire was the only thing
that made a noise.
Surprisingly enough, it was Van
who decided to end the unspoken charade. "Dryden fixed the machine." why
he had chosen something so blunt and obvious to begin a discussion was
beyond him.
"I know." came the dulled reply.
"So... you're going back today?" his tone
held a gloominess that she picked up on.
"I don't know... it depends on whether
or not this rain will let up."
"Oh." he frowned. "Do you miss your home?"
Another stupid question.
She nodded. "Of course. It's been months
since–well, not including when you brought me back." a memory passed through
her then, of her angel coming to bring her back to his world. Those words
he had whispered to her as their eyes met... "Hitomi... I'll never let
you–" the sight of him had caused the girl to interrupt him, throwing her
arms around him. Nothing else mattered in the world to her then, except
being close to him. The phrase he had uttered only registered later, it
and the word that had been cut off: "Go."
But that had been over a month ago. Things
had most likely changed.
"What's it like there?" Van asked, suddenly,
referring to the Mystic Moon. He vaguely remembered having asked this question
before, but he didn't care.
"It's much different than here." she answered
slowly, as if fearing her own answer. "We don't have guymelefs or castles
or"–she looked at him–"kings. My country has a Prime Minister instead.
It's really crowded back home... you don't see many trees because they've
been torn down to clear space for houses and apartments. We don't use carriages
and horses, we have motorized transportation called 'cars'." she smiled,
reflecting, but her expression soon reversed. "My world is so polluted.
Gaia is..." she looked into Van's eyes. "You're so lucky to be here."
"You're here too." he pointed out.
"For how long?"
It was a question he couldn't answer. She
was going to return home, they both knew that. Van longed to hear the words
"I'm going to stay" come from her mouth, but he knew it wasn't going to
happen.
He didn't say anything.
"Van?"
"Hm?"
"What happened? With you, I mean. You've
been so cold lately."
He hesitated. "Something... happened. I
took it the wrong way, but Allen clarified things for me."
"I'm glad. I was beginning to feel silly
for ever have–" she snapped her mouth shut.
"Ever have what, Hitomi?" the boy asked
carefully.
She shifted her weight nervously and neither
of them spoke for a few more moments. "What's in the bag?" she gestured
to the brown canvas sack that Van had brought in.
"Food from the market. It was somewhat
of a hassle to get. I purchased it from this merchant who really should
not have gotten my business. He insulted Fanelia and its ruler. He even
accused me of not paying him the right amount!" he paused. "Are you hungry?"
he pulled out a loaf of bread and tore it in have, tossing her one part
of it. She caught it.
"Did he have grey hair? Kind of a large
man... chewing on a blade of grass."
"Do you know of him?"
"I had an unfortunate encounter with him
this morning... luckily, Kayulo helped me out of the situation."
"Kayulo?" Van cocked a brow as he bit into
his loaf.
"Yes. Apparently he came by to see what
was taking you so long to return. Although, he had really no point in coming.
Merle pestered him into it."
"Merle... and Kayulo." the young king murmured.
He frowned.
"What's wrong?" Hitomi asked, confused
by his reaction.
"Nothing."
"Are you worried about Merle's feelings
for him?"
He didn't say anything.
The Earth girl giggled softly. "Jealous?"
"Of course not!" Van huffed. "Merle is
like a sister to me... nothing more."
"I know that... but could it be that you
might miss the attention she gives you?"
"No... I just find that she's still young.
I don't mind Kayulo at all. I would just prefer if Merle waited a little
longer before she fell into a relationship with him."
Hitomi nibbled precariously at the bread
in her hands. "At some point you're going to have to learn to let her go."
Again, the raven-haired boy was silent.
She smiled at him. He looked up, and smiled
back.
Allen stood at the window of his living
room, staring out. A previous glance at the clock told him it was 7:50.
It was getting late, the rain was still coming down in buckets, and his
sister was not yet back. He hadn't seen her earlier that morning, come
to think of it, and he was growing concerned. It was somewhat out of character
for her, she was usually quite punctual. Then again, for her other side..
It wouldn't be as unusual. Allen mentally berated himself for thinking
such things.
Suddenly, the front door swung open and
Celena burst in. She was soaking wet, and her eyes were red and puffy.
She had clearly been crying.
"Cele–" but he didn't finish. With a heaved
sob, his little sister flung herself into his embrace. "Celena?" he tried
again, this time managing to get the whole word out.
She looked up at him with big, blue, weepy
eyes. "I was bad."
"So then Yukari said, 'What do you mean?
Isn't this the zoo?'!" Hitomi burst out laughing. Van, now clad in his
red top, glanced at her sideways as though he was talking to some insane
woman. Hitomi finished giggling and promptly apologized for reciting such
a lame story. He let out his trademark amused grunt, the one he most frequently
used on Merle.
It was late. Neither of them had means
to tell time, but the darkness of the summer night outside was proof enough.
It was still raining, though not as hard. Van and Hitomi had been in the
windmill for the past several hours and were reconnecting in the way they
had during the Destiny War. Hitomi had not yet forgiven him for his actions
prior to their current situation. She didn't quite understand why... it
was as though some horrid doubt was still lingering in the air above them,
as true and fiery as the flaming strawpile. She furtively glimpsed the
Fanelian, who was no longer sitting across from her. She had dragged her
seat of wood over, so now she was only one or two feet from his right side.
A strange excuse for a bed had been set
out behind them once they had realized that the rain had no intentions
of stopping. Blocks of hay were the mattress, covered by a large grey cloth
they had found. Van had ripped the sheet in two, so that there would be
a blanket available in case it got cooler than it already was.
To pass time during this dreary night,
the two had exchanged anecdotes. Of course, it was mostly Hitomi telling
the tales of her past, but Van had contributed his own once or twice.
"Are you still hungry?" he asked, tugging
the bag over. "There are some tatana berries left."
"No thank you." she answered politely.
"Suit yourself." he pulled out the vine
of fruit, plucked one of the berries from it, and popped it into his mouth,
wondering how they would taste. It was delightfully sweet with a hint of
tanginess. He almost felt like smiling at the flavor.
For some reason he was reminded of the
shopkeeper's daughter, the one who had donated the fruit in apology for
her father's demeanor.
"They're the famous 'Asturian passionfruit'.
Some say that when you share it with someone you secretly love, they will
return your feelings. It's a silly superstition, but it's good fruit nonetheless."
Hitomi. He remembered that
she was sitting nearby. The fire flickered shadows across her face, giving
her a gentle glow in the darkness. Though she would not be considered 'beautiful'
under a hot head's terms, Van could see no woman prettier than she. His
love for who she was was what mattered most. Love. What he felt for Hitomi.
Soul-screaming, heart-wrenching love.
She laughed nervously. "Do I have something
on my face?" she asked Van.
He realized that he had been staring at
her, specifically, into her eyes, the sparkling gems that could maintain
his attention for hours. He turned his head away, back to the flames. "No."
He opened his mouth to another tatana berry,
but stopped, feeling Hitomi's eyes on him. "Do you want to try some?" he
asked, holding up the vine.
She nodded sheepishly. "If it's alright
with you..." she looked very sweet at that moment.
Van made a decision then. He had had the
mental debate throughout this entire time, but now he had made a choice.
He was acutely aware that it would have impact on what would happen later,
but he was willing to take that chance. He was tired of waiting for something
that would never happen unless he took a step towards making
it happen.
He finished the task of eating the berry
he had plucked not thirty seconds ago and got up from his seat, moving
over to Hitomi. He sat down next to her but in a way that he faced her.
Instinctively she reached out for the bunch but he pulled it behind his
back. She looked puzzled.
"Van, what are you–" but she didn't finish.
Van's fingers extended, taking her chin, a swiftly but gently he pressed
his lips to hers.
Hitomi's eyes widened and the fiery pink
spread throughout her cheeks. She could feel Van's lips, resting on her
own. Her mouth was slightly open, which was perfect for Van, who took full
advantage of it. He presser down a little more. Hitomi could taste the
sweet tang of the tatana berry that still rested on his lips. It was sugary
with a hint of sour, but she relished it. Mostly she relished what Van
was doing. She was frozen by the liplock, however, in too much of a shock
to return the kiss. Her eyes were still wide from surprise. It was more
than just a physical act... it was a genuine but silent confession on Van's
part, and a realization on Hitomi's. Emotions flooded through her like
water rushing through a broken dam, and she didn't know how to respond.
Slowly, Van pulled away, his fingertips
still touching her chin. He stared into the windows of her soul, as if
searching for something. His slightly parted lips slowly drew back into
a line and the tips of it curved up to form a delicate smile. In his eyes,
Hitomi could see that he was dead serious about what he had done, that
it had been a way of expressing her feelings. Van had always been blunt,
but this...
"Van." she whispered, her eyes sparking
in enchantment. That simple word, the 3-letter composition that was his
name, triggered a silent acknowledgment within their hearts and souls.
The king tugged her chin back towards him, but there was really no need.
She was complying completely, her eyes fluttering closed as she moved her
mouth to meet his. When their lips met, it was with a released passion
that had been locked up and hidden from each other. It was beautiful, in
an odd way. Tiny sparks of electricity coursed through them, giving them
the courage to continue. Van's hand rose from Hitomi's chin to cup her
face, allowing him better access to her mouth. She replied by moving closer,
savoring his hand, the kiss, the moment. Time stopped for them, providing
them with the one thing they had longed for.
After a few moments, they pulled away,
out of breath. Immediately, Hitomi averted her eyes from Van. Her cheeks
were delightfully rosy, and her cuteness at the moment left his lips aching
to kiss her again. Unable to resist the urge, he leaned down once more.
Before moments of fervent passion could occur, Hitomi abruptly stood up,
leaving Van with his lips still puckered slightly. The tawny-haired girl
moved over to the bed and sat down on it, staring at her feet. She looked
remorseful.
Van cursed under his breath. Had it all
been some devious trick? She had leaned in before, but now she was... regretting
it? What caused this sudden twist in feelings?...Or had it been planned?
Was this his penalty for being seen with another woman in the garden? His
brows furrowed in angry confusion. He had just bared his soul and now she
was rejecting it? That was cruel... it wasn't right.
"Hitomi..." he turned to look at her, questioning
her actions. She was more red now, and was taking extra care not to meet
Van's eyes. Her actions bore a hole in his heart and he stood up suddenly,
casting her a glare. He felt like yelling, "My heart is not a plaything!"
but avoided the idea. It was a personal rule of his: don't show
your weakness.
Hitomi was having her own little turmoil.
It's not real, it can't be. He... he lied to me. He was just trying
to wipe away that little fact with a kiss. ...a kiss that you enjoyed thoroughly.
The other part of her mind argued. She touched her lips, savoring the memory.
It was so filled with truth, and for someone who had only kissed once before.
He was delightfully experienced... No, no no. What am I thinking?
He kissed me not out of love, but as a way to make me forget that he lied...
A memory hit her then, of her leaning against
a tree trunk as she listened to a particular catguy speak.
"He lied to me, Kayulo!"
"About Lord Dryden's letter?"
"Yes!"
"Have you ever thought about WHY he lied?"
It became startlingly clear to her, as
though images were playing through her mind. She had lost her clairvoyant
abilities once the war had ended, but she could still imagine what had
happened. She pictured Van, standing on the balcony as he read over Dryden's
letter. She could see his lips tug downwards at the news that Dryden was
in Asturia already, suggesting that Van come by anytime with her to send
her back. She saw the king carefully roll up the letter again and glance
wistfully down at the city below. More specifically, on Hitomi. She remembered
that day clearly. It was the same one on which she had had an interesting
laundry experience. She had been going around, returning the washed clothes
to their rightful owners, and spotted him there on the porch. She had waved...
but he had turned around just has she did this, thus not seeing the gesture.
She had let a shrug ease its way onto her shoulders before carrying on
with her work, not bothering to question what had beguiled Van's attention
in such a negative manner.
You can't tell me that after all
this time, you still don't understand. He had said that to her a
few days before. She didn't recognize the meaning behind the words that
were harshly projected, but now... things had changed. All this time, Van
had felt more than friendship for her. She felt like a fool for not having
noticed earlier. She glanced over at the one she adored, noticing his hurt
demeanor.
Wake up! The voice in her head scolded.
He was about to kiss you, but what did you do? Got up and walked away.
Idiot!
"I'm going to put the fire out." Van's
rich voice penetrated the ambiguous silence. He walked over to the barn
door and slowly slid it open. The rain was coming down in gentle patters,
but there was no point in returning to the castle at this late hour. He
exhaled loudly and bent over, picking up the water-filled bucket. They
had left it out earlier in order to gather the falling drops, expecting
that they would need it later to extinguish the flames. Van pulled it in
and slid the entranceway shut, before moving over to the fire. It was dwindling
down now, but it still posed a risk if they were to fall asleep.
He dragged the bucket over to the flames
and carefully drowned them out. He watched the straw hiss and emit trails
of smoke as he reflected on what had happened with Hitomi. He had taken
the risk, and now he was facing the consequences. Life was so cruel at
times.
Suddenly, the empty bucket in his hands
clanged to the floor as Van felt two light arms encircle his waist tightly.
"I forgive you Van." the owner of the embrace
pleaded in earnest. "I understand now, why you did it. Why you lied about
the letter...and I'm so glad." she squeezed him tighter. "And I'm sorry...
for brushing you off."
"Hitomi." he pulled out of her grasp and turned around to
face her.
"It's my fault that I'm still here... I shouldn't have denied
it. I caused the pillar of light to stop functioning. I..." her hand clasped
tightly around her pendant. "I jut couldn't leave without... without..."
she trailed off. Van didn't hesitate as he drew her into a hug.
He held her in his arms like that for a
few minutes, enjoying the feel of her body pressed so tightly against his.
Her arms were under his and clutching his back, and his were around her
shoulders. He felt as though the world could crash and burn around him
and he wouldn't notice. He was too enraveled in his love for Hitomi. She
gave a soft contented sigh and Van's face quirked into a gentle but small
grin. He felt her relax completely in his strong arms and looked down to
see that her light eyelashes had fanned out onto her cheeks as her eyes
closed.
"Hitomi?" he whispered. She said nothing
and made no motion to. Van's smiled broadened
a little. They had been standing together in each other's arms for
barely 5 minutes and already she
had entered the realm of the billowing doze clouds. He recalled
vaguely that at some point during
their travels before the Destiny War, Hitomi had explained her reasoning
behind the times when
she would drift off.
"Where I come from, we call it anaemia."
she had said as she sat on the cold grass next to
him on one of those nights.
"Anaemia?" he had echoed.
"It means I have low iron." she had explained,
fiddling with the laces on her shoes. "My energy drains quickly unless
I have something with iron in it. It's one of the reasons I'm usually fatigued
here on Gaia, because this world doesn't have the same means of treating
it as my world."
Gingerly he led her over to the bed and
helped set her down. She snuggled against the "mattress"immediately, and
Van drew up the covers over her.
"Mmm.. Van..." she murmured.
"Goodnight, Hitomi." he replied softly.
Watching her lie there in perfect bliss,
he felt oddly envious. He decided that it was time for he too to give in
to the weights that tugged relentlessly on his eyelids. Carefully, he moved
over to the opposite site of the bed, pulling back the blanket. He was
about halfway in when he realized what he was doing. Or rather, what he
would end up doing if he continued any farther.
He would be sharing a bed with Hitomi.
Sleeping with Hitomi.
God he hated how such simple and straightforward
words could be inserted into crude contexts. If Dryden or Allen ever heard
of the situation, he would never hear the end of it. Not to mention the
fact that on a small planet, news traveled faster than the speed of light.
The information would become tweaked with every telling, until it was 100%
untrue. Amiable talk would twist and become disturbing news. Van's reputation,
as not only a man but as a king as well, would be soiled.
He sighed. His country would take priority.
He shoved the blanket aside and rose, prepared to create a less extravagant
bed of straw on the hayloft.
"Van?" a timid voice whispered to the darkness.
It sounded drowsy. "Can you close the window? It's so cold..."
Those few words were all it took for Van's
choice to do a 180. There were no windows to close, the barn just had holes
in its walls. It would seem that the meager blanket was not providing enough
insulation for the shivering girl. There was but one thing to do. The king
of Fanelia, still wary of the possible consequences, slid back under the
covers so that he was facing Hitomi's back. Nervously, he wound his arms
around her shoulders and drew her to him. The action caused the girl to
blink awake, blushing furiously.
"Van... you don't have to do this. I'll
be fine."
"I made a vow to protect you. I'm going
to keep my word."
"It's only a little bad weather."
There was a long pause on the raven-haired
teen's end before he spoke. "Whenever you need me for anything, Hitomi...
I will always be there."
She smiled and snuggled closer to him.
"Really?"
He moved his lips above her ear and whispered,
"I promise."